Norma Candal
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Norma Candal (April 10, 1930 – February 5, 2006) born in Fajardo, Puerto Rico, was an actress and comedian who was best known for her role as "Petunia".
Candal's family lived in the Fajardo Sugar Co. sugar plantation. Her father was the company's accountant. Candal participated in her first Christmas school play when she was 9 years old. She went to the "Colegio del Sagrado Corazon" (Sacred Heart Private School) in her hometown, where she obtained her primary and secondary education.
Candal enrolled in the Universidad del Sagrado Corazón where she earned her Bachelors Degree in Humanities. She was planning on a political career and was going to study political sciences but, she was granted a scholarship to The Catholic University of America (CUA) in Washington, D.C., where she earned her Masters Degree in Theater.
Candal returned to Puerto Rico upon graduating and, in 1965, became the host of the television show "En Alas de la Imaginacion" (On the Wings of the Imagination) for WIPR TV. Shortly after, she joined Tommy Muñiz Productions in Channel 4 WAPA TV.
It was during this period of time that Candal gained fame in Puerto Rico. She worked in the shows "Aquí con Norma" (Here with Norma); El Show del Mediodía (The Midday Show) and La Criada Malcriada (The Misbehaving Maid) where she played the comical role of "Petunia", a "simple minded" maid, a role that would give her fame.
There was a strike against Tommy Muñiz Productions in 1970, which forced Candal to leave the show and join "ASTRA Productions" for which she did a couple of shows. Candal stopped working in television for several years after undergoing an open heart surgery in which she had a valve replacement.
In 1980, Candal went to work for Cardinal Luis Aponte Martinez at the Cathedral of San Juan. In 1985, she returned to television and starred as Doña Tere in La Pensión de Doña Tere (Mrs. Tere's Boarding House).
Norma Candal also participated in the Spanish version of the play Steel Magnolias; The Letters of Mozart; The Old Maids of San Sebastian Street, and Kisses on the Forehead.
In 2004, she had a role in the movie Díos los Cría (God Creates Them) alongside Alicia Moreda, Esther Sandoval and directed by Jacobo Morales.
On Friday, February 3, 2006, Candal suffered a fall in her house hitting her head on the floor. She was hopitalized at the Pavia Hospital in San Juan where she suffered additional complications from the loss of blood. Candal died on Sunday, February 5, 2006. She was buried in her mother's grave at Santa Maria Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery located in Old San Juan.
She is survived by her two children, Norma and Andres Jr., whom she had with her late husband, Andres Sr.
